


Balloon

by bugmadoo



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-04-14 09:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4559853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugmadoo/pseuds/bugmadoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yevgeny has a nightmare</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balloon

**Author's Note:**

> Two things: this is unbeta'd and I feel like there are tons of errors in here that I haven't caught and then I don't even rememeber the last time I interacted with a 4-year old so sorry in advance
> 
> Also this is partially inspired by the song [Balloons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nMXQy_mUK8) by Foals

Mickey almost groaned out loud when he heard the door of their bedroom open loudly in the dark of the night. He didn’t need to look to know who it was that was coming into their room at three in the morning but he opened his eyes anyway and saw the faint light from the other room illuminating his son’s frame.

He quickly closed his eyes again, hoping that if the boy thought that Mickey was sleeping, he’d return to his own bed – not that it had ever worked before – but it was the middle of the night and he hadn’t gotten much sleep yet so he was desperate. Sure enough, Mickey heard the soft fall of footsteps coming closer, stopping right next to his head and it was silent for a few moments, the soft sound of their breathing the only sound in the room.

Yevgeny didn’t move for a while and the longer the silence lasted the more worried and nervous Mickey got. His kid was watching them apparently and Mickey pictured what Yev was seeing. Ian’s front was pressed against Mickey’s back, one arm around Mickey’s chest, their fingers entwined on top of the blanket, Ian’s exhales barely tickling the hairs on Mickey’s neck. They usually fell asleep in this position and more often than not this was how they woke up again too. If it had been anybody else coming into their room watching them like this, Mickey would have protested – the position somehow more intimate than Mickey was comfortable anybody witnessing. He found that his son seeing them like this was okay though for some reason. God knew Mickey grew up never seeing any kind of affection in his house and usually if it wasn’t something Mickey had grown up with it probably a good thing for his son.

“Dad?” Yevgeny whispered finally, softly placing his small hand on Mickey’s cheek. “You awake?”

Mickey sighed before opening his eyes again. He saw his son standing next to the bed, his stuffed animal under one arm, hair tousled and eyes wide.

As soon as the boy saw that Mickey was awake, he buried his face against his neck, Yevgeny’s hands gripping his father where he could and Mickey automatically brought his free arm around the four year old. Giving up hope on finding sleep anytime soon, Mickey quietly shushed Yevgeny who was clinging onto him almost painfully, letting out quiet whimpers, and Mickey desperately hoped that Ian didn’t wake up, having only just fallen back asleep ten minutes before Yevgeny had come into their bedroom.

“Wait Yev, let me get up,” Mickey whispered, pushing Yevgeny off him softly but instantly regretted it when he saw the look on his son’s face who looked like he was trying his hardest not to cry.

He carefully untangled himself from Ian’s sleeping form, got up slowly to put on a T-shirt lying at the end of the bed, and turned back to Yevgeny who already had his arms stretched out towards Mickey so he could scoop him up. Yevgeny instantly wrapped his arms around Mickey’s neck when Mickey complied, the stuffed animal dangling against Mickey’s back, and he buried his face into the curve between Mickey’s neck and shoulder.

Mickey looked back over his shoulders, pleased to see that Ian didn’t seem to have woken up despite the commotion and he left out a sigh of relief. Holding his son with one arm, Mickey moved around the room, turning off all the extra lights Yev apparently had turned on and sat down on the bed, Yevgeny still clinging to his neck.

Silent sobs shook the small body in Mickey’s arms and Mickey tried his best to calm Yev down, rubbing his hands over his back soothingly and occasionally kissing the side of his head and murmuring what he hoped were calming words. Yev’s body was warm against Mickey’s chest and Mickey would have probably fallen asleep from the comfort of it if it wasn’t for the waves of worry inside of him caused by the distressed noises Yev was making right next to his ear.

Three in the morning had a funny way of making you forget that time is passing at all, the silent darkness stopping clocks, so Mickey didn’t know how long it took for Yev to calm down and his breathing to go back to normal but eventually he settled down. Before Yevgeny could fall asleep in his arms and inevitably wake up again when Mickey put him back into bed, Mickey pulled Yev’s head back from where it was buried against his neck and looked at his son’s red eyes, puffy face and messy hair.

“Bad dream?” Mickey asked, concern still thick in his voice and his chest.

Yevgeny nodded, rubbing his eyes with his small fists and yawned. Despite his worry, Mickey smiled at the sight and in the back of his mind he wished Ian was here because he would take a picture of this.

“You okay now? Everything alright?”

Yev nodded again and leaned forward, hugging him and Mickey leaned his head down, burying his nose in Yev’s hair and inhaled Yev’s comforting scent. After a moment he turned his head to look at the clock on the desk and silently mourned the half hour of sleep he had missed so far.

“Let’s go back to sleep, buddy, it’s late.”

Instead of answering, Yev just yawned again, so Mickey lifted Yev from his lap and turned, placing the kid on the bed. Yevgeny slumped into bed, his body landing on the mattress and pillow with a dull thud. Mickey got up, tucked him in before sitting down on the side of the bed again, his hand resting on Yev’s head.

“Where’s Balloon?” Yevgeny asked, lifting his head suddenly and looking more awake than he did a minute ago much to Mickey’s dismay.

Balloon was Yevgeny’s stuffed dragon animal that he almost never left out of his sight. Mandy had gotten him the thing almost a year ago for his birthday and Yev had instantly fallen in love with it. Yevgeny had started to call the toy Balloon a couple of days later and when Ian had asked Yev why the dragon was called Balloon the kid had simply answered “Because he can fly”. They somehow understood the logic behind that.

Mickey looked around and saw the dragon lying on the bed where Yev had let it fall behind Mickey’s back earlier.

“He’s right here, kid,” Mickey answered, handing Yev the toy who instantly took it into his arms, clutching against his chest and buried his face into the purple fur.

“You gonna be okay, Yev? Can I go back to sleep?”

“But what if I get a bad dream again?” Yev asked, his eyes wide when he looked up at Mickey. The sight made Mickey’s heart ache.

“You won’t.”

“Why?”

“Because-“ Mickey never thought that raising a kid would entail so much bullshitting but Yev was a curious little shit so Mickey ended up making stuff up a lot and this time didn’t seem any different, “remember when Balloon made your cold go away the other week?”

“Daddy Een said he fighted all the evil things that made my nose all stuffed!”

“Exactly, two days later your nose was fine, right?”

Yev nodded and already looked like Mickey was telling him the most suspenseful and exciting story of all time.

“You know what else Balloon can do?” Mickey said, poking the stuffed animal against Yev’s chest. “He can keep the bad dreams away if you ask him nicely.”

Yev’s eyebrows shot up, fascination clear on his face, and looked down at the toy in his arms. “He can? Really?”

Mickey desperately hoped that this wasn’t going to backfire by either Yev getting another nightmare or Yev being so excited about that revelation that he couldn’t sleep but it was the middle of the night and Mickey felt the exhaustion deep in his bones at this point.

“Yeah, you just have to whisper in his ear and he’ll do it.”

“Awesome,” Yev said mesmerized, staring at the toy and looking like he was debating which ear he should whisper the request in. Mickey leaned down, kissed Yev’s head and was about to get up and leave when Yev spoke again.

“Dad?”

“Yes, buddy?”

“Does everybody get bad dreams?”

“Yeah, everybody does now and then.”

“Daddy Een too?”

Mickey didn’t know if this was just a random question or not but he had learned quickly that toddlers were far more receptive of their world around them than Mickey thought. Either way Mickey was slightly taken aback for a moment. Ever since Ian had to get his meds readjusted two weeks ago, he regularly woke up from nightmares, sweaty, breathing heavily and clinging to Mickey as if his life depended on it. Although Mickey wasn’t the one having the actual nightmare, they still scared him in the way they sent Ian’s heart racing like nothing else. Ian never told him what the dreams were about, claiming that he never remembered them in the morning, but Mickey suspected that that wasn’t always true but he left it alone.

“Yeah, daddy Ian too. Bad ones sometimes,” Mickey answered and thumbed his bottom lip.

Yevgeny seemed satisfied with that answer, nodding, closing his eyes and sinking deeper into the covers. Mickey shortly thought of staying here until Yev fell asleep so he could make sure that he was alright but discarded that thought when his eyes closed on their own accord. He needed his bed, sleep and Ian immediately.

“You want me to leave on the light?”

Yev smiled, cradled the stuffed animal closer to his chest and shook his head.

“Alright, night Yev,” Mickey said, turning off the desk lamp and leaving the room not before taking one last glance at Yevgeny and returned to the bedroom.

“Everything okay?” Ian mumbled as soon as Mickey had settled back into bed and into Ian’s arms.

“Yeah, go back to sleep.”

Mickey silently cursed the fact that Ian had woken up but he was happy to hear Ian’s breaths evened out again after a minute and eventually the even breaths lulled him into sleep himself.

\---

The next morning Mickey entered his son’s room quietly and sat down at the edge of the bed. He was glad to see that Yevgeny’s face was relaxed in his sleep, his mouth slightly open, hair sticking into every direction and the side of his face squished against the pillow. He felt slightly bad about having to pull Yev out of his peaceful slumber but it was already later than he usually got up in the morning and they really had to get a move on. Mickey placed a hand on Yev's shoulder and shook him awake. Quickly Yevgeny woke up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

“More bad dreams?” Mickey asked, rubbing his hand up and down Yev's arm.

Yevgeny sat up in bed, rubbing one eye while looking around frantically with the other. He found what he was looking for when he grabbed the dragon from next to him and held him high up in the air “Balloon helped, dad!”

“Told you he would,” Mickey said “Alright buddy, get up. Breakfast is ready in five.”

Yev hopped off the bed with more energy than Mickey thought he possessed at the same age and ran out of his room, Balloon faithfully clutched in one hand.

“Daddy Een, look!” Yev yelled through their apartment accompanied by the sound his feet trampling down the hall like thunder.

Mickey smiled, shook his head and walked out of Yegeny’s bedroom.

\---

The next night the family started their evening ritual like they always did. Ian and Mickey usually got ready for bed together with Yevgeny since the boy was more willing to fall asleep if he thought that the rest of the house was asleep as well. Of course Ian and Mickey rarely did until a few hours later and more often than not they ended up on the couch again, watching whatever was on TV. Mickey was glad that Yev hadn’t caught on to that part yet or hell would break loose.

“Ian?” Mickey called softly from outside their bedroom and Ian finished putting on his tank top before he turned around.

He watched as Mickey walked into their bedroom, Yevgeny right next to him, one of Yev’s hands in Mickeys and the other one dragging something on the floor behind him, looking a mixture of sheepish and nervous. Ian shot a short look at Mickey, silently asking what was going on and Mickey cocked his head towards the kid. Ian asked himself what Yev could possibly want since they already said goodnight and Mickey has been about to tuck his son into bed. When the pair was standing in front of Ian, he crouched down so he could look at Yevgeny directly.

“You want another goodnight kiss, Yev?” Ian asked. The boy shook his head.

“He wants to give you something, right kid?” Mickey answered since Yevgeny looked like he wanted to hide behind his father’s legs instead of answering. The sight was adorable, really, so Ian crouched down, his eyes level with Yev’s.

Yevgeny stretched out his arm, Balloon clutched in his hand, and pressed it against Ian’s chest. Ian took the stuffed dragon, not knowing what he was supposed to do with it.

“Why are you giving Balloon to me?” Ian asked, a confused smile on his face. “You always sleep with him, Yev.”

Yevgeny didn’t immediately reply but looked up at Mickey who nodded, a smile on his lips.

“For your bad dreams,” Yevgeny said quietly, his blue eyes meeting green ones.

Ian’s heart felt like it was exploding, his breath hitching, and welcoming warmth spreading through his chest. He quickly handed the stuffed animal to Mickey who almost let it fall down and Ian took the boy into his arms, hugging him tightly and Yev hugged him back with all the strength a four year old could muster. Ian buried his nose close into the small curve between his shoulder and throat, inhaling the smell that’s to uniquely Yevgeny and yet so similar to Mickey’s that it’s easily Ian’s second favorite smell ever.

“Your arms are really hard, daddy Een,” Yev said after a moment and Ian chuckled and pulled away.

Ian’s laugh is shaky, his eyes a little wet as he looks at Yevgeny with so much love in his eyes that Mickey almost felt like he should look away.

“Sorry about that, buddy,” Ian replied and kissed Yev’s forehead.

“Alright let’s get you into bed little man,” Ian said taking Yevgeny’s hand and Mickey watched them walk into Yev’s room, a grin on his face.

Ian came back into their bedroom with a soft smile on his face that didn’t falter while they both undressed and Ian took his meds for the night. The smile grew even brighter when he placed Balloon on his bedside table.

“Was that his idea or yours?” Ian whispered against Mickey’s neck once they were settled in bed.

“The dragon? All his idea,” Mickey replied, entwining his fingers with Ian’s.

Ian’s arms tightened around Mickey and he thought he felt a hot tear seep into his hair. Despite the fact that the gesture had been for Ian, Mickey was still surprisingly touched by it. He didn’t know if it was normal for a kid his age to have that much empathy but Mickey was glad that Yev did.

“He’s such good kid, Mick,” Ian said, kissing Mickey’s shoulder.

“He is,” Mickey replied, the fact spreading like warm liquid in his chest.

“I’m glad he has you,” Ian whispered right next to Mickey’s ear and Mickey was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat. Nobody besides Ian would ever even think about telling him he was doing a good job as a parent and often enough Mickey himself was convinced he was fucking up the majority of the time.

Mickey turned in Ian’s arms carefully and kissed him, buried his head in Ian’s shoulder, hugging him and pulling him close – a silent thank you.

“Night, Ian.”

“Night, Mick. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

They drifted off to sleep quickly after that, the moonlight that was peeking through their curtains casting the room in warm shadows.

The nightmares didn’t come that night.

**Author's Note:**

> [caputdraconis.tumblr.com](caputdraconis.tumblr.com)


End file.
